牧者心聲
恆常回到主前，熱切祈禱
蕭壽華牧師
2022 年 8 月 27 日 / 28 日
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疫情期間不少研究發現，香港人的抑鬱癥狀增加，快樂指數下降。而基督徒由於少了機會與其他肢體相聚，並對香港前景及個人健康多了掛慮，於是信仰上便顯得消沉，不自覺地，恆切的禱告生活也放下了。
主受難前夕與門徒吃逾越節晚餐，告知他們將有危難出現，而他們當中將有人要出賣祂，其他人都要跌倒。門徒不安的情緒就增加，「就甚憂愁」，那一刻他們最大的需要是祈禱，但他們卻「因為憂愁都睡著了」。主深切勸告他們：「你們為甚麼睡覺呢？起來禱告，免得入了迷惑！」——主對憂愁的人的最重要鼓勵是：「起來禱告！」
聖經說：「在指望中要喜樂；在患難中要忍耐；禱告要恆切。」（羅十二 12）假如我們有盼望卻容許自己愁煩，也沒有忍耐面對患難，進而放棄恆切的祈禱生活，那便進入極其危險的狀況了。一位姊妹與丈夫的關係出現了危機，準備接受丈夫的離婚要求，但其後孩子在家中出現一些異常行為，她警覺到要找機會安靜下來，跪下祈禱，沒想到她剛開聲禱告，眼淚便湧流出來，她本是要向主控訴丈夫，但內心卻出現深刻的自省：「他是你丈夫，你尊重他嗎？你敬重他嗎？」之後她邀請丈夫一起祈禱，二人在祈禱中竟然一同流淚，奇妙地消解了多年來的怨憤，重新和好。
我們以為禱告是說話，但禱告最重要的是聆聽。在禱告中，我們當然可以向神傾心吐意，尋求祂的幫助和引導，但當我們的心轉向神，神就會向我們說話，光照我們內心的驕傲、情慾、憂慮與不信，叫我們懂得謙卑尋求力量。禱告中，人的心思會變得清醒，更能分辨惡者的迷惑，作正確的抉擇。
香港的弟兄姊妹此刻更需要一起祈禱。使徒行傳講述教會每當面對危難，信徒的回應便是一同禱告。參加祈禱會首要的不是為聽道，而是與弟兄姊妹一同禱告；也不是向神轉述某些祈禱「事項」，而是去分享、去明白某些群體或弟兄姊妹的需要，然後投入悟性、感情、時間，同心熱切呼求神的恩惠。我過去曾參加韓國教會的祈禱會，他們的牧者講述各樣需要之後，信徒便全體開聲祈禱，禱告聲充滿教會，一段長時間以後，弟兄姊妹才再分組同心禱告。我深切渴望香港教會也同樣經歷熱切禱告的能力：「禱告完了，聚會的地方震動，他們就都被聖靈充滿，放膽講論神的道。」（徒四 31）
A number of surveys during the pandemic have found that depressive symptoms among Hong Kong people have increased while their happiness index has dropped. For Christians, as they have had fewer opportunities to meet with other believers and they have more worries over their health and the future of Hong Kong, their faith seems to have become lifeless. Unknowingly, faithful prayer life has been forgotten.
Prior to His being betrayed, the Lord had Passover supper with His disciples. He told them a crisis was coming and one among them would betray Him. The others would fall. This heightened the uneasiness among the disciples and they were "very sad". At that moment, their greatest need was prayer, but they were asleep, "exhausted from sorrow". The Lord exhorted them, "Why are you sleeping?... Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation". To those who are sorrowful, the Lord's most important encouragement is "Get up and pray!"
"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer" (Romans 12:12). If we cherish hope but allow ourselves to be worried, if we are not patient in affliction and even give up a faithful prayer life, then we are in a very dangerous position. A sister and her husband had a crisis in their relationship and she was prepared to accept the divorce request from her husband. Then she noticed some unusual behavior of their child at home, and she woke up to the need to quiet down to pray on her knees. Unexpectedly, when she started to pray, her tears poured down. She was going to accuse her husband before the Lord, but deep reflections came from within her heart: "He is your husband. Do you honor him? Do you respect him?" She then invited her husband to join her in prayer during which they both cried. Miraculously, years of grievances between them were resolved and they reconciled with each other.
We may think that praying is talking, but the most important thing about prayer is really listening. In prayer, we can of course pour out our hearts to God and seek His help and guidance. But when we turn to God, He will speak to us, illuminating the pride, the lust of the flesh, worries and disbelief within us. We then know we should humble ourselves and seek His power. In prayer, our thinking becomes clear and we can better discern temptations from the evil one and make a right decision.
More than ever before, brothers and sisters in Hong Kong need to pray together. The Book of Acts tells us that whenever the church comes across a crisis, the response of believers was invariably united prayer. The most important thing about coming to a prayer meeting is not to listen to a sermon but to pray together with brothers and sisters. It is not to relay prayer "items" to God, but to share and understand the needs of certain groups or some brothers and sisters. It is then that we can put in our understanding, feelings and time to faithfully pray for God's grace together. I attended prayer meetings of Korean churches before. After the pastor had explained the prayer needs, all the believers would pray aloud and the sound of prayer fills the whole church. It was after a long time that brothers and sisters would break into groups to continue to pray. I very much long to see Hong Kong churches likewise experience the power of faithful prayer: "After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly" (Acts 4:31).
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